Las Palmas 1-0 Atletico Madrid: Munoz nets dramatic winner as Los Amarillos stun Atleti in LaLiga upset

Javi Munoz scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner to secure a crucial 1-0 victory for Las Palmas over Atletico Madrid on Saturday, delivering a significant blow to the visitors' fading LaLiga title aspirations.

Atletico Madrid, managed by Diego Simeone, remain third in the table with 63 points, trailing second-placed Real Madrid by three points ahead of their clash with Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. The defeat comes as a major setback for Atletico, whose hopes of challenging for the LaLiga crown now appear even more remote.

"It was a tough match, a defeat we have to put behind us and move on. But today is tough," said Atletico defender Robin Le Normand. "It's clear that every point is important. Beyond fighting for the title, we wanted to play a very good match... They didn't create much, but they're playing for salvation, fighting for every ball. We didn't get it right."

Las Palmas, battling relegation, created early pressure with close-range chances from Alex Suarez and Dario Essugo. Atletico responded with efforts from Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, but Las Palmas goalkeeper Dinko Horkas produced vital saves to keep the match goalless at the break.

Despite dominating possession in the second half, Atletico struggled to break through a well-organized Las Palmas defense. Just as the game seemed destined to end in a draw, Munoz seized on a defensive lapse inside the box and fired the ball past Jan Oblak in stoppage time.

Initially ruled out for offside, the goal was confirmed after a VAR check three minutes into injury time, sending the Estadio Gran Canaria into jubilation.

"They took a desperate long shot and scored. We had a couple of chances in the first half that their goalkeeper saved," Atletico captain Koke said. "We have to keep going. We know that LaLiga is almost impossible, but we have to prepare ourselves by working hard. We have to win against the teams at the bottom if we want to fight for LaLiga."

The win lifts Las Palmas to 17th place with 32 points, two clear of the relegation zone, at least temporarily ahead of Alaves’ game at Sevilla on Sunday.

"I was certain that I wasn't offside. When I saw that the ball was dead, I went to take advantage of the play," Munoz said. "There's a lot of fighting left but we're going to fight until the end. Let's enjoy the victory and hope it helps us to keep believing that the team can do it."

SportsLigue